Current Search:  Spanish language--Study and teaching (x)

View All Items

  • CSV Spreadsheet
(1 - 5 of 5)
Achievement and satisfaction in adult Spanish language courses with compressed and standard formats
Title
Achievement and satisfaction in adult Spanish language courses with compressed and standard formats.
Creator
Schoenfeldt, Alyse Lesser., Florida Atlantic University, Guglielmino, Lucy M.
Abstract/Description
This study examined the achievement and satisfaction level attained by adults studying elementary Spanish in compressed and standard terms. Each format included 60 hours of classroom instruction; compressed terms were completed in 6 weeks, while standard terms were 15 weeks. The 90 minute, multiple choice, standardized achievement test, the Dantes Beginning Spanish I-SF 583, an attitudinal survey, and a 15 minute questionnaire developed for this study were completed by 129 students in...
Show moreThis study examined the achievement and satisfaction level attained by adults studying elementary Spanish in compressed and standard terms. Each format included 60 hours of classroom instruction; compressed terms were completed in 6 weeks, while standard terms were 15 weeks. The 90 minute, multiple choice, standardized achievement test, the Dantes Beginning Spanish I-SF 583, an attitudinal survey, and a 15 minute questionnaire developed for this study were completed by 129 students in southeast Florida, 73 in standard format courses, 56 in compressed formats. The findings indicated that adult students learning Spanish as a foreign language in compressed and standard time formats with an equal number of contact hours had similar levels of student achievement and intent to continue to the next level of Spanish. The one exception was that a significantly higher vocabulary and structure mean achievement score (<.05) was obtained by the students in the compressed term. The major conclusion is that an adult learner may expect similar results in an elementary Spanish course regardless of whether it is offered in a standard or compressed format. Inferences which can be drawn must be limited to similar populations and time frames. Since a learner's achievement and satisfaction level in elementary Spanish classes for adults is dependent upon many factors, not just the element of time, a multiple perspective is needed to analyze and assess foreign language learning. One implication is that courses be made available in a wide variety of time formats. It is recommended that administrators concerned with scheduling and curriculum planning use adult student needs assessments to determine what the adult learner considers to be convenient, flexible scheduling. Recommendations include replicating the study with a larger, more diverse population, amplifying it to include a qualitative segment for student personal responses, and adding a longitudinal component containing follow-up surveys over varying time periods.
Show less
Date Issued
1997
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12505
Subject Headings
Adult education, Academic achievement, Spanish language--Study and teaching
Format
Document (PDF)
Predictors of English Reading Skill in Children from Spanish Speaking Homes: A Longitudinal Study from Five to 10 Years
Title
Predictors of English Reading Skill in Children from Spanish Speaking Homes: A Longitudinal Study from Five to 10 Years.
Creator
Tulloch, Michelle K., Hoff, Erika, Florida Atlantic University, Department of Psychology, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Abstract/Description
Learning to read is a fundamental skill that is understudied among children who hear more than one language at home. A particular limitation in the extant literature is that the samples are often Spanish-dominant and come from low-income households. This literature has evidence that Spanish skills – both language-specific (i.e., vocabulary) and language-general (i.e., phonological processing) – predict English reading ability. In the current study, we investigated the effect of oral language...
Show moreLearning to read is a fundamental skill that is understudied among children who hear more than one language at home. A particular limitation in the extant literature is that the samples are often Spanish-dominant and come from low-income households. This literature has evidence that Spanish skills – both language-specific (i.e., vocabulary) and language-general (i.e., phonological processing) – predict English reading ability. In the current study, we investigated the effect of oral language skills in both English and Spanish, as well as other pre-literacy skills, on the English reading skill of Spanish-English bilinguals who are English dominant and received English only instruction from school entry. The oral language skills and other pre-literacy skills of 101 Spanish-English dual language learners were assessed at 5 years. English reading skill was measured annually from 6 to 10 years. Latent growth curve analysis was used to model initial English reading skill at 6 years and the growth of English reading skill from 6 to 10 years. Four sets of hypothesized foundational skills measured at child age 5 years were tested as predictors of subsequent English reading skill: (1) English oral language skills, (2) Spanish oral language skills, (3) English and Spanish oral language skills, and (4) English and Spanish oral language skills, with other pre-literacy skills. The results of structural equation modeling indicated that English vocabulary and phonological awareness measured in Spanish were significant predictors when English and Spanish skills were entered separately. When English and Spanish oral language skills were included together, Spanish oral language skills did not explain English reading growth better than when oral language skills were modeled independently. The best model of predictors of English reading for bilingual 5-year-olds included only English vocabulary and English letter recognition.
Show less
Date Issued
2023
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00014162
Subject Headings
Reading, English language--Study and teaching--Spanish speakers
Format
Document (PDF)
SELECTED SOCIOPSYCHOLOGICAL ATTITUDES ASSOCIATED WITH FOREIGN LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION IN HIGH SCHOOL AND POSTSECONDARY STUDENTS
Title
SELECTED SOCIOPSYCHOLOGICAL ATTITUDES ASSOCIATED WITH FOREIGN LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION IN HIGH SCHOOL AND POSTSECONDARY STUDENTS.
Creator
AKE, CATHERINE ANN., Florida Atlantic University
Abstract/Description
The purpose of this study was to determine if selected sociopyschological variables were influenced by foreign language instruction. Attitude surveys were administered to 260 students from a high school, a junior college, and a university in Florida before and after instruction in introductory Spanish classes. A combination of instruments developed by Gardner and Lambert at McGill University was adapted for the study. A Likert-type scale was used to elicit responses regarding anomie,...
Show moreThe purpose of this study was to determine if selected sociopyschological variables were influenced by foreign language instruction. Attitude surveys were administered to 260 students from a high school, a junior college, and a university in Florida before and after instruction in introductory Spanish classes. A combination of instruments developed by Gardner and Lambert at McGill University was adapted for the study. A Likert-type scale was used to elicit responses regarding anomie, ethnocentrism, and attitude toward Hispanics; a semantic differential scale, to elicit stereotypes of Americans, Spaniards, Cubans, Puerto Ricans, and Mexicans. Data obtained were analyzed by one-way analyses of variance, correlation and t-tests for significance, and the orthogonal comparison method. Results included the following: The university students did not change attitudes significantly on any variable tested. The junior college students' attitudes improved significantly toward Mexicans. The high school students' attitudes toward Hispanics in general and toward Mexicans in particular declined significantly. For the total sample, there was a significant trend toward anomie following instruction, but there was no change in ethnocentrism. A significant positive relationship existed between these two variables prior to instruction; no significant relationship existed afterward. Stereotypes elicited rated Americans most favorably followed by Spaniards. There were no significant differentiations made between the other three groups. It was concluded that instruction in Spanish neither improved overall attitude toward Hispanics nor decreased ethnocentrism. Nevertheless, it was found that the high school students' attitudes were flexible and susceptible to change. Recommendations included the reassessment of affective goals in foreign language instruction and the development of cultural awareness units to be incorporated into the curriculum.
Show less
Date Issued
1982
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/11796
Subject Headings
Spanish language--Study and teaching--Psychological aspects, Spanish language--Study and teaching--Florida, Students--Attitudes
Format
Document (PDF)
role of other-regulation in second language learners of beginning Spanish
Title
The role of other-regulation in second language learners of beginning Spanish.
Creator
Seiden, Carolina M., Florida Atlantic University, DuBravac, Stayc
Abstract/Description
This qualitative study analyzes speech data from learner's interaction in small group and paired activities in the classroom. The analysis is framed in Vygotsky's theory of language. The findings suggest that peer-peer interaction alone does not increase the opportunities for students to understand, practice and incorporate new concepts into their developing second language. Other-regulation---collaborative dialogue---and scaffolding---the task preparation so the student is compelled to...
Show moreThis qualitative study analyzes speech data from learner's interaction in small group and paired activities in the classroom. The analysis is framed in Vygotsky's theory of language. The findings suggest that peer-peer interaction alone does not increase the opportunities for students to understand, practice and incorporate new concepts into their developing second language. Other-regulation---collaborative dialogue---and scaffolding---the task preparation so the student is compelled to perform a task that appears to be within his/her reach---are compromised when the task lacks context and personal significance for the students.
Show less
Date Issued
2004
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/13120
Subject Headings
Second language acquisition, Interdisciplinary approach in education, Spanish language--Study and teaching, Language and languages--Study and teaching
Format
Document (PDF)
PERFORMANCE ERRORS AND COMPETENCE ERRORS IN SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING
Title
PERFORMANCE ERRORS AND COMPETENCE ERRORS IN SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING.
Creator
MARTIN, JOSE MANUEL., Florida Atlantic University, Resnick, Melvyn C.
Abstract/Description
Competence errors reveal a learner's lack of knowledge of target language (TL) rules. Other errors may be corrected immediately and are regarded as performance errors. Some errors involve rules also within the learner's TL competence even though these errors are left uncorrected in speech, possibly because the still-unconsolidated rules require conscious monitoring which has been impeded in a stressful situation. This study proposes and tests the hypothesis that such uncorrected errors are...
Show moreCompetence errors reveal a learner's lack of knowledge of target language (TL) rules. Other errors may be corrected immediately and are regarded as performance errors. Some errors involve rules also within the learner's TL competence even though these errors are left uncorrected in speech, possibly because the still-unconsolidated rules require conscious monitoring which has been impeded in a stressful situation. This study proposes and tests the hypothesis that such uncorrected errors are also performance errors. Five adult Spanish-speaking learners of English were asked to perform three speech tasks under differing degrees of monitoring difficulty. They later edited a transcription of their speech and attempted to discriminate the correct form on a test. Errors that a subject edited and discriminated correctly were considered performance errors. Stabilized variability errors were inconsistently edited or discriminated, while true competence errors were not recognized by the subjects.
Show less
Date Issued
1982
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/14111
Subject Headings
Speech errors, English language--Study and teaching--Spanish students
Format
Document (PDF)